In general, people usually use a tooth brush to clean their teeth each day. The toothbrush commonly consists of a straight, angled, or bent handle, the end of which is designed as a brush. This brush can be equipped with bristles of varying hardness and shape, and the bristles may also be arranged in different ways. Recently a replaceable brush head, which has many advantages from the standpoint of hygiene, has also been proposed. Since the head has to be not only attached to the handle in such a way as to be separable, but also must be fastened to the handle securely enough to follow all the motions of the brush during tooth brushing without slipping, creating a competitively priced embodiment may pose some problems.
On the other hand, different designs previously have been proposed for a cleaning device in the form of an extended thimble with a textile or other rough surface which can, if necessary, be impregnated with a tooth cleansing agent. This device, which is based on the primitive method of cleaning one's teeth by rubbing them with a finger when no toothbrush is available, has been rejected by the dental profession as inadequate.
Based on recent scientific findings, it has been determined that regularly brushing teeth vigorously for minutes at a time, even with soft brushes, can lead to microfine scratching of the tooth surface. This is particularly the case after the consumption of acidic foods, which can temporarily soften the dental enamel, as well as when the dental necks and tooth root surfaces are exposed and devoid of enamel.